Orange Marmaladae and Ricotta Cupcakes

Okay, so you know how I told you that my wonderful husband gave me that wonderful Cupcake Doctor book for my birthday...well, I got to play with cupcakes this weekend!!! I wanted to make a 'dessert' quality cupcake...you know...something really good that counts as a whole dessert rather than just a 'snack,' per say. So, I chose to make the Orange Marmalade and Ricotta cupcakes. Wow! First of all, I had a total blast making them! They were easy, but not too easy as to make the experience boring, you know? The base is a yellow cake mix, which I rarely use, but it worked really well with this recipe, along with ricotta cheese (I chose fat free), Orange marmalade, orange juice, and some of the usual stuff...eggs, oil and such. The cupcakes took a tad bit longer to bake than the recipe suggested, but other than that, they came out beautifully! And they were OH, so good!

For the topping I melted down a bit of the marmalade in a sauce pan and glazed each cupcake before loading on the Marmalade Buttercream frosting!

Okay...I have a confession to make...I'm not a big buttercream fan. I KNOW! I KNOW! How can I possibly call myself a cupcake fan and not be in love with buttercream, well...the way I see it...you gotta make the cake awesome and if you are really good, I'll like whatever you put on it because it will compliment the cake well. That being said...this was some GOOD buttercream! It was best when fresh - that being the same day I made them.

I know you are drooling enough now, so I can share a photo of the yumminess with you!



Can you see how moist and soft and wonderful they look? Yup. They tasted that good, too!



And this....is one of my favorite pictures EVER! Check out my absolutely GORGEOUS RED Kitchen Aid with the beautiful reflection of none other than CUPCAKES in the metal bowl! Now, THAT, my friends....THAT is good stuff. That's all I'm say'n.



So talk to me folks....talk to me! What great cupcakeness have you come across lately? Any other REALLY yummy recipes? You know I'd love to hear about them!